Asfura, a Born Criminal

Echoing Pontius Pilate's washing of his hands in the face of crimes committed by armed elements who should have been under his command, Nasry Asfura, the Trump-imposed president of Honduras, has confessed that his government cannot solve the Central American nation's problems without resorting to private enterprise.

A shrewd connoisseur of how to extract and offer dividends to the ills of the national oligarchy and foreign investors, the so-called "Pope at Your Service" asserted that only the private sector can help alleviate the poverty in which 60% of the Honduran population is mired, and he dismissed any state-led relief that could be provided in this and other ills that plague Hondurans daily.

This was to be expected from an individual who knows that only the support and pressure of Donald Trump and the purchase of loyalty from people linked to the establishment, permeated by the country's rampant crime, made his presidency possible through a virtual electoral coup.

Backed by the biased press, he has claimed credit for social welfare projects undertaken by the previous progressive government and reiterated his argument that private enterprise is the only solution to the problems of poverty, inequality, corruption, and violence, while simultaneously expanding the circle of those who join in the corrupt practices, thus shielding himself from the accusations that still hang over him.

Only in this way can one explain how, with the active support of the President of the United States, an individual burdened by criminal proceedings for money laundering, embezzlement of public funds, and other crimes committed during his tenure as mayor of Tegucigalpa, the capital, could have become president.

A FAR FROM BANAL HISTORY

Asfura is the visible figure of the conservative National Party, which regained control of Honduran institutions after the 2009 coup and governed the country for 12 consecutive years under Porfirio Lobo Sosa (2010-2014) and Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022). This period was marked by scandals involving corruption, drug trafficking, and state capture, culminating in Juan Orlando's 45-year prison sentence in the United States—later pardoned by Trump—and the life sentence plus 30 years imposed on his brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández.

During his time as mayor, hundreds of infrastructure projects were carried out: overpasses, tunnels, bridges, and road expansions. However, these constructions were surrounded by allegations of contracts being awarded to companies with possible personal or partisan ties.

While concrete proliferated in the central areas of the capital, the structural problems of the poorest neighborhoods remained untouched. Nearly 200 neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa continue to lack regular access to drinkable water, forcing thousands of families to buy it from tanker trucks at prices up to ten times higher than in residential areas. Reality did not change during Asfura's administration.

On September 15, 2020, in front of the military high command and Juan Orlando Hernández's cabinet, Asfura proclaimed: “We need leaders who are passionate about justice, not money.” Six weeks later, the Specialized Prosecutor's Unit Against Corruption Networks (UFERCO) requested a preliminary hearing against him for the embezzlement of at least 29 million lempiras in municipal funds.

According to the investigation, between 2017 and 2018, these funds were allegedly used to cover expenses for his companies, pay credit card bills, and make transfers to his daughters in the United States. The funds came from a municipal trust that, according to the indictment, was used to back checks deposited into the then-mayor's personal accounts.

In 2021, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice halted the proceedings, demanding that audits by the Superior Court of Accounts be completed—a decision that kept the case frozen for almost three years. “This was part of the political elite’s pact of impunity,” denounced Representative Fátima Mena at the time.

On October 10, 2024, the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Corruption (UFERCO) reactivated the case, but eleven days later, Asfura paid bail of 15 million lempiras and faced trial while free. On December 4 of that same year, a court declared all actions taken by the Public Prosecutor's Office null and void and ordered the case file returned to the Supreme Court of Justice, revoking the precautionary measures and forcing a restart of the trial.

MUCH MORE

These allegations are compounded by the revelations of the Pandora Papers in 2021, which linked Asfura to offshore companies in Panama, used to conceal assets. One of these companies, Marlene Overeas S.A., was created in 2006 through the Alcajal law firm and later passed into the hands of the Átala family, owners of the Ficohsa group.

He is also listed as a shareholder in Su Ambiente, a company that sued the municipality of San Pedro Sula for $8.1 million and won the case despite not having provided garbage collection services. Journalistic investigations revealed how Asfura concealed his shareholding until regaining control after the favorable ruling.

With this track record, Nasry Asfura entered the 2025 election under the banner of a National Party worn down, stigmatized, and marked by 12 years of corruption, authoritarianism, and impunity.

Thus, it's easy to understand how a loyal dog obeys its master's voice. And after a meeting with Trump's foreign minister, Marco Rubio, Asfura decided to eliminate the contract that had been maintained for two years with the 168 members of the Cuban medical brigade who worked in 17 of the country's 18 departments and, among many other services, performed some 7,000 eye operations.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff